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America's Middle Market Businesses Share Bleak Outlook Post Election

CLEVELAND,
Dec. 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- It's business as usual – and not in a good way - for middle market executives parsing 2012 presidential election results and post-election headlines for signs political gridlock is giving way to a unified plan for economic progress.

According to the latest KeyBank Middle Market Business Sentiment survey, more than two-thirds (67 percent) of middle market executives have a fair to poor outlook for the US economy in the next 12 months. Only 16 percent of those surveyed are more confident in their businesses' potential to thrive post-election.

Executives were surveyed
between Nov. 7 and 12. KeyBank has tracked middle market business sentiment over the past six months.

"Middle market business executives need certainty to make plans," said
Cindy Crotty, KeyBank executive vice president and head of KeyBank's Commercial Banking segment.

"Before they can switch gears from saving to expanding, they need to see our leaders in
Washington avoid the fiscal cliff," she said. "More importantly, middle market executives want assurance our leaders will work together to create an economic path to progress."

The election did little to shift power in gridlocked
Washington, and Crotty said the survey results reflect middle market executives' concern that partisan politics takes precedence over developing a non-partisan economic policy.

"Right now business need to see clear policy on important issues such as tax rates and regulation – even if that policy means more taxes or increased regulation," Crotty said. "They might not like the policies, but at least they would know what to expect and be able to plan accordingly," she said.